by Tompet Games

Asking 14 Kickstarter superbackers one really important question.

A Kickstarter superbacker is a person that backed at least 25 projects in the last year, with pledges at $10 or more. In other words they back a lot of projects. As a Kickstarter creator I always have a lot of questions I want to ask regular backers. Thats why I reached out to superbackers (and a few aspiring superbackers) on the web and asked them some easy but really important questions. The first question was:

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU LOOK AT WHEN YOU OPEN UP A KICKSTARTER PAGE?

Design, how professional does the game look and does it look fun. -Robert M (447 backed)-

1st thing I do is scroll down the page to look at the components and stretch goals for the project. I like to know I’m getting some kind of extra value for being willing to accept the risk of backing an unknown. -Becca (305 backed)-

The reward tiers. I do a quick glance at the cost of the tiers. Next I figure out what each tier is offering. -Karl (300 backed)-

Usually I look at pictures of the pieces and board these days. Most games have polished samples before KS nowadays. Used to be hard to guess the final quality from art samples. For non games I look for samples or a table of contents or the like. -@_attriel_ (250 backed)-

The first thing I look at when I look at a Kickstarter page are the pledge levels, followed closely by the possible stretch goals. If there are reasonable pledge levels and stretch goals, I’ll back it. If I’m on the fence about any of it, I’ll at least set a reminder, and re-check it in the last 48 hours. –Eric P. (157 backed)-

I always look at the pledge levels first to see if they are reasonable and what shipping prices are for the rewards. Then I scan the page to get an idea of what the game, or project, is about. I almost never watch the video, but I do look for images of the product. I don’t go any further on many projects. Then once I’m finished with that if the project has my interest I’ll read through the entire page, check out any updates, and then decide if I’m going to back the project. -Joseph B (113 backed)-

I look for rules, how to play video and components and price – @thegdgame (108 backed) –

The first impression is important so the first opening images are the ones that attract my attention. Also the goal of the campaign… Is the money achievable are they hoping for a fair amount. Finally I look the organization of the page. If it’s too cluttered I walk away. -Erick A. (70 backed)-

I look at the campaign page – on mobile versions of Kickstarter, it always forces you to look at the backer levels page first, so I switch over to the description of what the game actually is first. I read the quick description of the game and then look for pictures of components. Finally, if it looks interesting enough for me to get that far, I will look at the price. -Chris W (70 backed)-

Overall structure and images. If I’m interested, I might look the video and read the page from top to bottom. – @BoardGamerWkly (70 backed)-

I look at a couple of things usually:

Introduction video: to find out whether project (that for some reason caught my eye initially) is in fact what I thought it is and is something I’m really interested in

For me, these two things do great job sifting out projects I’m interested in investigating further. If general idea behind the project doesn’t resonate with me (video alone is often enough to make a conclusion) or if I find it too/unreasonably expensive, I usually stop right there. -@kion (56 backed)-

If there are Early Bird Rewards I need to pledge within a certain time frame. -“The doctor” (36 backed)-

Generally I’m attracted to Kickstarter projects that are advertised elsewhere. Whether that be on other websites (primarily gaming), or through projects that the creator has completed in the past, that’s what lures me in. On Kickstarter itself I have a look around once I’ve decided to back the project that drew me in (or not). If I’ve been drawn from elsewhere I firstly look at the levels you can back the project at. If I have noticed the project on Kickstarter then I will firstly read what the creator has written about the project. –@jac0byterebel (35 backed)-

The theme has to resonate with me, and the right artwork . -@wreck_and_ruin (30 backed)-

As someone who has backed 150+ projects and is about to launch my own campaign, I find this interesting.

Specifically that no one mentioned reviews or third party videos. Perhaps these come later in their cycle but for me I always check the price and then if they have 3rd party content. I never look at the 3rd party content, I just want to make sure the effort has been taken to get outsider input.

I look forward to seeing your next 2 articles and would be happy to answer questions as well if you need another super backer sometime.

Thanks for sharing. As someone who is in their final 48 hours of our first campaign (Argle Bargle: The Game Where You Insult Your Friends) we really wondered this going into it and did a lot of second guessing and asking the boardgame community. Initially, we were told our video needed to tell the story, but looking at these comments from superbackers it doesn’t seem like it has nearly the impact we thought it did. We were also told to obfuscate the stretch goals beyond the first few because it was committing to something without knowing the velocity of the project, but it seems they’re pretty important to the superbackers if this list is any indication. It’s been a great learning experience and we’re very thankful that we made our goal and sharing this game with the world.

I joined Kickstarter a couple of years ago but only recently became active. In the past two months I have backed roughly 20 projects. My thought process is perhaps a bit more business oriented than some.

1) Does the project convey a sense of pride and professionalism?
2) Is there a need for the product? (There is no shortage of pointless projects.)
3) Does the product have a moat (barrier to competition)? (Do we really need another mouse pad?)
4) Do they display business skill as well as technical skill? (Remember Adam Osborne?)
5) Are they offering me anything worthwhile in return for my backing, or is this a project which I wish to back for altruistic reasons?
6) Are they proactive communicators?
7) What are the backgrounds of the creators?
8) What are they willing to put at risk?

I would not value any of these questions above the others. I do not treat Kickstarter as a bargain basement retail establishment. If I want that I will order what I need directly out of Asia. And I do not view it as an investment, since the return is limited and unreliable, with a real possibility of loss. I simply back things which (1) have some appeal to me as someone who builds and creates things myself, (2) align with some interest or value that I want to support.